Resonance
by kleiner-teufel
Summary: Almost forty years after the Alien invasion mankind faces the definitive ultimatum. The Great War is the only reality Captain Uzumaki knows and everything he's seen: it will take an outsider to convince him that they actually deserve to be saved. Naru/Sasu, Dystopia, Violence, Language, Blood/Goore, Minor C. Death, Military Environment
1. Prologue

I don't own Naruto and I don't earn a thing from writing except black, creepy shadows under my eyes. Ugh. Story and thinking are mine, though prompt is not – fear me, my dear fellows.

Written for the winter edition of the #NSexchange.

Special thanks to Krob and vacs. None of us is a native, but nothing stopped us from engaging in ferocious debates on English semantic, grammar (and porn). Also a big hug to Fox Mum for the support!

 **RESONANCE**

 _I_ _n_ _physics_ _, resonance is a phenomenon in which a vibrating system or external force_

 _drives another system to_ _oscillate_ _with greater_ _amplitude_

 _at specific_ _frequencies_ _._

 **0\. PROLOGUE**

FROM: S.N. Head of Intelligence UEF 07:21

TO: UEF Supreme Commander, Lady Tsunade Senju

OBJECT: Report - day 15.003 Nr. 003

 _Interrogation of the Snake (prisoner #34356) is finally_ _over. Was no easy task but the Bad Guys finally managed to obtain useful information from him. Disclosed the location of the prisoner's secret laboratory in a now inhabited suburb west from Capital City (_ _1°17'33.1"N 103°47'38.9"E)._

 _He admitted his affiliation with Akatsuki too._

 _We've reasons to believe that proof about the Confidential Project he was working on under their request could be found in his secret hideout. For this cause, General K. wasted no time sending the Kyuubi to check on the location. Full squad is armed since we expect to find some Akatsuki in there; they left present day, h 07:15 a.m. CCT._

 _The Snake didn't give any hint about what the subject of his studies was, despite the Bad Guys' insistence. Taking into account his personal history and reputation, we must consider the eventual results of his research as an impending menace for the Union's security._

 _For this reason, I didn't oppose General K. rushed decision, which was anyway shared by General A. and General G._

 _We're currently considering setting up a second questioning for the Snake, since we've been forced to give him a break; Tenzo and his guys know the way._

 _I'll contact you again as soon as we get information from your favorite Captain._

 _Stay safe._

 _The Deer._


	2. 1) Beauty and the beasts

**1\. Beauty and the beasts**

With a practiced movement, Naruto pulled up the high collar of his black technical shirt, covering the lower side of his face up to half his nose. His piercing blue eyes were focused on the shiny metal of the AK-47 lying in his lap, ammo already loaded, waiting to be hooked to the safety strap around his torso. He fumbled in the left pocket of his body armor, finding his finger-less gloves and methodically putting them on. He couldn't shake off the bad feeling he had about the whole thing.

Softly he sighed through his nose, warming the material now concealing his features, uncomfortably cold from the December air. He spent the last hour desperately trying to focus on the task at hand but all the efforts seemed to be in vain. He couldn't bring himself to drive away that damn grim sensation that have settled in the pit of his stomach since the moment he and his men left the base under this new assignment.

Running his fingers through his savage blond locks in exasperation, he skimmed the serious expressions on his comrades' faces in the dusty dim light, until he found the very familiar green iris of his best friend.

His squad was currently camped in the filthy cargo-back of a military truck, headed towards the western suburbs, getting ready for a surprise raid on Orochimaru's secret research center. Nobody but the highest generals of the Elite Forces knew precisely about their current mission or location.

Getting information on the Snake's laboratory's whereabouts had been anything but an easy task; Orochimaru had finally surrendered only after three endless interrogation days at the Bad Guys' mercy. Such a long resistance was actually unprecedented, and Naruto had to admit the guy must hide some balls under the fancy kimono-robes he usually wore.

Naruto had been ready to jump in action since the very moment that motherfucker was captured by Sand Squad, almost four days ago, after a long month of frustratingly groundless investigation that nearly made them give up any hope of reaching him.

Now that he was called to do his part, though, the alarm bell incessantly ringing in his head didn't allow him to concentrate fully. _And it was frustrating_. Logically, he had no reason to feel that way, and he knew it. But the fact that his instinct had actually saved his life countless of times in the past, during his military career, made it nearly impossible to ignore the warning signals and simply get on with the mission.

Sakura had always been amazingly good in perceiving his distress, even when he really was trying his best to hide it. There was a reason if she had grown under his skin to the point he now considered her his best friend. They have been fighting together for so many years already, sharing countless missions.

In occasions like this one, anyway, Naruto would have preferred if she wasn't as good at reading as she was with an open book. He was the Captain of the fist squad of the Union's Elite Military Forces, he couldn't afford to show his men any sign of insecurity before a mission. Particularly, not before one as important as this one was.

In any case, unavoidable like only death was, here Sakura stood, sat on the other side of the cargo bed, looking at him like she perfectly knew what exactly was going on in his head. Her strawberry blond hair was collected in a messy bun above her head, some rebellious locks falling down to frame her half covered face. Her eyes were unavoidable to put it dimly.

Naruto smiled at her fondly, despite the fact it was hidden behind his uniform's high collar.

He nodded in her direction and she tilted her head to the side slightly, her emerald gaze hardening.

 _"You cannot fool me", she was saying._

Naruto knew without needing to be reminded.

He didn't have the time to share his musings and preoccupations with her, all the same. Furthermore, he wanted her to be perfectly focused on the impending mission and not even remotely influenced by the negative sensation that, for some reason, was mercilessly chowing at Naruto's inside.

The truck took a sharp turn to the left, his tires creaking on the ruined asphalt of the road. A particularly deep pothole made the whole vehicle tremble, the metal of the equipment they were wearing clinking against the bulletproof walls. The small light bulb hanging from the ceiling of the trailer wavered, illuminating on and off the concentrated faces of his men.

Naruto secured his weapon to the strap, hearing Choji at his side doing the same.

Other metal clinking was heard in the small dusty space, revealing his squad getting ready to jump in action. Ten Ten, sat on the floor at Sakura's right, flexed her back pushing her arms forward, stretching like a cat. As usual before an important assignment, nobody was exactly in the mood for small talking.

The heavy truck came to a halt with a desolate squeaking of brakes.

Naruto jumped up first, AK-47 hanging at his side like a faithful dog, his calloused hands immediately finding the huge handle of the trunk. He pulled and rotated, unlocking the mechanism, then pushing the door open.

In front of him, in the gray light of the morning, a narrow abandoned road stretched between the skeleton of old industrial buildings.

Naruto jumped down the track, his powerful, trained legs flexing under him for a soft landing, the brownish water of a puddle slightly muddling his combat boots.

That grim sensation in his bowels was still gnawing at him, putting his senses on alert. They had no more time to find a possible cause for it or to revise the plan, now.

They had to go inside and get the (dirty) job done as soon as possible; many things depended from the results of their incursion today. The whole Union was counting on them.

Naruto embraced his weapon, removing the safety with a small, almost lovingly caress. He looked back to his squad, armed and ready, awaiting for his command.

\- Ladies and gentlemen, - he smiled, making sure that there was absolutely no trace of uneasiness in his tone. - Let's do this! -

Creaking of weapons and leather, boots on the broken asphalt.

In a minute the Kyuubi was in mission asset.

Shikamaru had recommended to be ready for a conflict, since there was a concrete possibility that Orochimaru's hideout was guarded by some Akatsuki soldier. As far as Naruto had seen in the last ten minutes, anyway, that outcome didn't seem as probable as they prepared for.

The squad had stuck meticulously to the plan, easily checking on the outside of the building to be sure there were no cameras or sentinels. _All clear_ declared, Kankuro proceeded with blowing up the security door with small charges, and they entered the place undisturbed. Naruto was leading the way, his squad organized in the usual combat formation behind him, with Sakura and Ten Ten in the middle. Shino was the end man of the group, checking constantly their back searching for eventual menaces that might be hidden and come for them from behind.

The building looked abandoned, the dark corridors crowded by garbage, dirt and broken pieces of furniture. To find their way in the scarce light they were using small torches mounted on the top of their machine guns, despite the risk to give away their presence. Even through the material covering their noses, the stench of rat-piss mixed with the smell of dust and foul air was clearly noticeable.

Shikamaru had given him a small description of the hideout's layout, the way Orochimaru had instructed him. Naruto knew that they were expected to find a flight of stairs going underground, after they went through a couple of empty halls.

Turning smoothly on the right after checking the hallway's emptiness, the Captain got a glimpse of the first hall, with old-looking, worn-out recliners amassed against the wall to the left. The room was windowless, exactly like the corridors they've walked through up to this moment. The walls looked stained by something akin to soot and ashes, though it didn't look like the building suffered a major fire.

Naruto moved into the room quietly, his men silently following him like they were extensions of his own body. Some of the wooden boards occasionally protested under their boots, but no other noise was audible in the stillness.

The door opening on the second hall was just foots from them now, and Naruto lengthened his steps to rapidly walk through.

The second room was equally shattered, a broken table and some debris collected in a pile right in the middle. Suddenly enlightened by some flashlights, a big mangy rat scrambled away from a heap of trash nearby. Nobody moved.

Stairs where nowhere to be seen.

Naruto gestured for his squad to check the room, to see if there was some hidden door or passage that was not immediately noticeable.

While his men were moving to obey the order, already starting to remove some of the trash, kicking it around, something metallic clinked under Naruto's boots, and the Captain lowered his weapon to lighten up the floor beneath his soles. It was barely visible under all the dust and dirt, but looking closely, he could spot a big metallic panel covering the normally wooded floor in that area. Naruto had inadvertently stepped on a small iron ring connected with the metal plate, or probably he wouldn't have focused his attention to the floor this quickly.

The blond captain knelt down, his big hand removing some dust around the ring to reveal another one identical to the first, located approximately twenty-five centimeters left.

\- Kiba, c'me here. - it was barely a whisper, but the soft sound of his friend's footsteps right behind his back confirmed Naruto that he'd been heard loud and clear.

\- We gotta lift it. -

Kiba only nodded, putting the safety on his weapon and keeling down beside Naruto. He looked closely to where his Captain's attention was focused and noticed the metal plate on the floor as well.

\- Take it from here, - Naruto instructed, gesturing for Kiba to grasp the second ring near the one Naruto himself was holding.

\- I can guess hinges are in front of us on the other side, but I cannot be sure. It's also possible that we simply have to slide the slab. -

Kiba took a hold of his ring-handle and gave an experimental pull. He snorted, then shrugged.

\- Nah man. Slide is the way. It's better if we pull, if ya trust me. -

Naruto smiled and didn't comment. He hooked his fingers better, then planted his feet to the floor.

\- To the three. One, two, three! -

The metallic plate glided on the wooden floor, scratching, and here the staircase was, only the first two steps visible in the darkness heading down to the basement.

Kiba roughly cleaned his hands on the back on his pants, then embraced his machine-gun again. Naruto pointed his flashlight into the opening of the stairs.

\- This way. - he commanded.

The whole team moved to follow.

Orochimaru's hideout was actually a weird dungeon of rooms and hallways stretching apparently endlessly underground. Some of the rooms were evidently designed to be lived in and contained torn, but perfectly usable, beds and chests and closets. Other rooms included desks, chairs and shelves, and so many books of various shapes, languages and topics. Heading to the most secluded areas of the lair, they had also spotted a small kitchen-space with a living room, looking like the inhabitants had been forced to leave the place in a rush.

They hadn't encountered a single form of life since that chubby rat on the ground floor.

Paradoxically, the air was way more fresh and clean down in the underground, hinting that the place was likely equipped of some system for the air flow. The floor was clean, all considered, testament to the presence of people until not much time before.

They entered a large, long room squashed with custom designed racks, each of them filled with weird glass containers of different shapes and dimensions. Some of the jars were full of liquid, in assorted shades of gray, light blue and yellow.

Naruto moved on, guiding his squad in a line in between the rackets, shifting his AK-47 to check the surroundings with the torch. He could see that there was something stored in the containers together with the liquid, but he really didn't feel like investigating about what it was. It looked suspiciously like fetuses or body parts of creatures that once used to be alive. For sure, Naruto wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that some of the jars contained organic material belonging to some missing human being.

A sudden creak of glass crushed under soles broke the creepy stillness of the laboratory, resounding high in the silence despite being akin to a whisper.

Naruto immediately shifted his attentive eyes across the room, not spotting any suspicious movement, but already being sure they weren't alone anymore.

\- Crouch down! - he barely had the time to shout, before a series of gunshots was on them, bullets destroying the rackets, glass exploding everywhere. The Captain shielded his eyes with his left hand, cold, unclassified liquid soaking his clothes and raining down from the now precarious shelves.

\- Turn the lights off! - he commanded, gesturing at the same time with his fingers, to be sure he was heard above the noise. Darkness would give them some advantage, making them more difficult to detect. Of course, his hope was that their attackers didn't have equipment to improve their night vision.

Either way, those motherfuckers would need to reload their ammo, sooner or later. Naruto had enough experience to know for sure that there were at least two people hunting them, since the shooting came from two different directions, crossing above their heads.

He gestured for Kankuro and Kiba, right behind his back, to be ready to aim in front of them approximately 45° to the right, while for Shino and Ten Ten to aim sharp left. His guys nodded, waiting for his signal to counter-attack.

The shooting stopped, pretty much at the same time from both directions. Motherfuckers likely had some instrument to communicate with each other live.

Naruto waited, patiently listening to the smaller noises in the room mixed with the sound of dropping liquid and the creaking of broken glass. The shooter on the left was close, probably just five or so meters from them, hidden behind some racket. He couldn't hear the other man though, so he didn't trust standing up to aim right then.

The Captain clearly heard the closer man speaking in some foreign language to his mate, probably through an ear-bud.

\- It's Japanese, – Sakura whispered, and Naruto understood why it sounded someway familiar. - He's telling someone to turn on the lights. -

Naruto nodded, gesturing for Ten Ten to be ready.

A soft click was heard, and the row of neon lights above them blinked lazily and then came to life, the white aseptic brightness almost blinding them after the prolonged period in the darkness.

The Captain immediately signaled Ten Ten, thinking that if they were disturbed by the sudden light, their enemies would reasonably be in the same situation. Clearly, they didn't have additional equipment with them.

Ten Ten jumped up immediately, aiming and shooting half of the magazine to the left. At the same time Naruto stood up shooting blindly forward, right from left, providing her coverage. They crouched again at the same time, silently waiting for further noises to be heard.

Someone was running from right to left in front on them, and Naruto gestured for Kankuro and Kiba to aim. They both stood up but only Kiba shot, instantly crouching down when more bullets started to rain on them from the front.

\- I got him, but not in the right place. - the tattooed man whispered, reloading his M4 just to be sure.

\- There's a blond man at the door to the left. - Kankuro supplied, looking bothered. - He has a sniper rifle. He could likely get us through the many rows of shelves if he gets to aim. We gotta move. -

Naruto nodded to both of them. - That's what we do. - he instructed, thinking quickly. - Backwards, usual strategy. Let the ladies work their magic together. -

The group started to head back, crouched as they were, still facing the front. After three meters, Choji an Shino jumped up, aiming and shooting forward, shifting their trajectories smoothly to cover with bullets a triangular area with them at the vertex.

When their magazines clinked empty, oiled like the perfect killing-machine the Kyuubi was, they simultaneously crouched down to reload, while at the same time Sakura and Ten Ten stood up to shoot the same way with their bigger caliber Tommy-guns.

In three rounds like this the squad reached the end of the room, to the side they came in a few minutes ago. Naruto signaled them to split in three cells, the one headed to the extreme right made up by the three man with the longest range weapons.

He took Kankuro with himself, heading left to the bastard Ten Ten shot already, and sent the two girls back in the middle row. They went forward again, this time faster, alternatively covering each other. In the middle of the left row, a man in Akatsuki clothing was unnaturally sitting with half of his back against a shelf, a puddle of blood spreading around him on the tiled floor.

"So Ten Ten got him." Naruto rapidly took note, before being distracted by a sharp movement in front of him. Shooting resounded again, but it wasn't aimed at him.

A man with red hair and the same Akatsuki uniform came visible for a second from behind a bookcase at the end on the row, aiming two automatic machine-guns towards his general direction. He heard Kankuro fire from behind himself, missing but forcing the motherfucker behind the bookshelf again, and he aimed for where the bastard once was, sure that he was ruthless enough to try to come at them again the same way.

Somebody was screaming from the end of the room, but Naruto didn't recognize the voice as one of his comrades. Shooting sounds started again and the redhead son-of-a-bitch did as Naruto had deftly foresaw, his possessed expression perfectly visible in Naruto's gun-sight. Naruto pulled the trigger the same instant his enemy gained aim, the bullets cutting immediately through the others forehead.

The redhead stumbled to the floor, lifeless, to the sound of Sakura's _all clear._

Naruto smiled, proud of his team. _But the fucking sensation of uneasiness still hadn't left him for a minute._

He lowered his weapon, still stepping ahead to reunite with the rest of the squad to make the point, when-

\- Shit, the bastard has a bomb on him! - Kiba shouted and Naruto's iris dilated, adrenaline getting to him like drug.

\- Fuck! Seek shelter! - he instantly countered, but it was late already, debris and the hotness of the blast wave hitting them all at high speed.

Unbalanced, he fell backward against Kankuro and they both tumbled to the floor, the warmness of the air mixed with the dust from the rubble making them cough.

His left cheek hurt and stung as if something pointy had cut through, but he could feel well all the rest of his body, so he judged he had been lucky, all considered.

He turned towards Kankuro to notice the man in a similar condition, his right arm and side sporting some annoying cuts because of the glass in the room, but no deadly wound was visible on him.

He struggled to find his equilibrium and stand up, his hands already to the metal of his AK-K7, his eardrums steadily whistling. Since he was deaf to the majority of the sounds, he run by heart towards the last location he heard Kiba's voice coming from, only to find a small crater in the floor, adorned by pieces of what must have been a body only seconds before. Blood and half burned fragments of flesh and bones were splattered everywhere.

\- Kiba! - he shouted, turning around madly in search for his friends. Sakura came out from a hiding beneath a knocked over shelf, looking irritated but unarmed. Looking more closely, Naruto saw Ten Ten hidden together with her. Shino was coming for him from the right corner of the room, together with Choji.

The Captain relaxed a bit, noticing how good his squad had been to avoid the blunt of the explosion. They all looked ruffled and a whole lot irritated, but they were all walking steadily on their legs.

\- Kiba! - Naruto yelled again, his hearing gradually coming back accompanied by a sense of dread.

-Fuck man! I am already hurt, could ya plis stop damaging what's left of ma tympanums? -

Naruto didn't understood all that was said to him, but simply hearing Kiba's voice made him feel over a thousand of times relieved. He crossed the hole in the floor in front of the room's exit, headed into the adjoining one. Kiba was there, slumped against the wall right behind the door, his left arm bloodied and hanging in a strange position from his shoulder.

Man. - Naruto called him, and Kiba immediately responded, his eyes smiling a bit.

\- You gotta speak to my other side if you hope for me to hear. - he gestured with his good hand to the blood gushing out of his left ear.

Naruto barely got the general meaning of it, taking a step back and better assessing the severity of his injuries. Broken arm for sure. Some burns here and there. A breached eardrum.

Sakura joined them behind the wall.

\- Shit. I am sorry you're hurt but, honestly, I expected a lot worse. What the hell happened? - Naruto asked, still half screaming, as Sakura searched for the first aid kit in her backpack.

\- Dunno why, but for some reason I got the idea to check on the body. - he grimaced, dirt drawing expressive lines on his forehead's skin.

\- Thanks God you did! - Naruto cheered, watching Sakura as she opened a bottle of peroxide.

He had a small charge attached to his chest, under his uniform, timer already zeroing. So I turned him face down, hoping that his body would have softened the blunt of the explosion, and warned all of you to stay away. I barely managed to get shelter behind the wall. Luckily it wasn't a powerful bomb, probably hand-made or so_ HOLY DAMN, WOMAN! -

Sakura was pouring peroxide on the burns wrecking his arm, disinfecting the wounds with the help of a small gauze.

\- You weren't wining for a broken arm but you are for some peroxide? - Sakura taunted, mercilessly keeping on with her job and trying to figure out how to immobilize their comrade's useless limb until the end of their mission.

\- Whatever you did, it worked. - Naruto praised Kiba, watching as pain finally reached his face. The guy clicked his tongue, still sneering under the pink-haired girl's treatment.

\- How long will it take for you to fix him? - he then asked Sakura, once again all business now that he was certain they all were fine. Sakura shook her head, not completely sure what to answer.

\- Some time. - she offered, still working her hands around Kiba's arm. - It's better if you move, I believe. Kiba and me will catch up with you as soon as we can. We still haven's seen any rooms with computers or files, nor Orochimaru's private studio. Time's running and there's still plenty of work to do... We don't even know what exactly we're searching for!-

The Captain considered her words in silence, fingers clutching the metal of his AK-47. He didn't like the idea of leaving some of his men behind, but deep down he knew Sakura was right. They were searching for files, or concrete evidence, of the Confidential Project the Snake was working on under Akatsuki's commission. The only problem was, they had no idea of what precisely this project was about. They were pretty sure it was some sort of secret weapon, but Orochimaru was widely popular in the Union, and considered ahead of his time, because he always managed to provide the unexpected. It could be literally everything. Plus, they've been given eight hours of time for their raid, almost four of them already passed, before the rescue squad would come and get them. Naruto wouldn't risk to head back empty handed.

\- Okay. Whatever shit happens, we stick to the plan like mussels to the rock. - he recommended them, before turning in search for the rest of the Kyuubi.

\- Guys, we move! Kiba's fine but he needs some patches! - Kiba snorted at the choice of words and someone laughed soundly from the other room. Shino. -They'll get to us as soon as Sakura makes him whole again. -

Before heading forward, resuming his leading position, Naruto turned back to look at Sakura for a second, feeling an odd need to tell her something, but unsure about what exactly.

\- I trust you. - he softly spoke, forcing himself not to linger. Her emerald eyes were soft as they met blue.

They found another staircase, this time not concealed, heading further underground. Under there, some rooms looking like prisoners' cells were discovered, all of them empty except for basic furnishing.

Whatever those Akatsuki soldiers had done with the lightning system, they apparently turned it on in the whole hideout. This made the Kyuubi's march quicker and more efficient, since it was easier to find their way and check the various rooms with the help of the full light.

They had also found a hall that looked like an info lab at first sight, but all the computers there had been crushed or taken away already. All that was left were tons of cables and routers, plus desks, overturned chairs and some DVDs that Shino had taken.

Naruto was slowly loosing his patience. They were running out on time, and nothing relevant had emerged so far. The place looked like the people sent to clean it had done their job thoroughly. Nothing was left behind; no personal object or document on the desks. They had even checked a small room that had been completely trashed, ashes and remnants of burnt paper everywhere, but nothing useful came out from there either.

Naruto sighed, leading his squad at the end to the umpteenth hallway, into a spacious laboratory. He checked the surroundings like the procedure wanted, declaring the _green light_ before properly letting his gaze wander, moving further into the room and letting his guys in.

Three enormous glass cylinders, going from floor to ceiling and ample enough to easily contain a man like Choji, were aligned against the wall in front of Naruto, apparently empty. A long, lean desk was positioned in the middle of the room, between the team and the weird, enormous test tubes on the other side. On the desk were some books and various technical material, some can containing chemicals and syringes, plenty of them, some even fallen to the floor.

In a corner of the room stood a chair that looked like some torture tool for electroshock treatment, all the electrodes hanging limply from an armrest.

Naruto distantly listened to his men working, trusting them blindly, knowing they were the best in their field. The bad feeling that had been accompanying him during the whole expedition was back again, stronger than ever. That room seemed to stir his discomfort, which was furiously biting into his stomach.

The Captain calmly strolled around the table, only vaguely looking at the pincers and surgical blades laying on it, distantly feeling sick at the thought of what they had likely been used for. He walked to the glass tubes at the end of the room, his head reclined to see their junction point with the ceiling. Naruto briefly turned to look at his back, checking on his squad once again, assessing the presence of a small archive section with china-closets and bookcases to his right, a secluded space against the wall they came through. Ten Ten and Kankuro were already looking it through.

He directed his focus back to the glass cylinders, strangely curious, noticing a weird hole in the top of each of them that looked at least of a half-meter diameter. Naruto laid his left hand onto the cold glass, leaning closer, taking in smaller details like the presence of a draining system at the bottom. Arguably, it was possible to fill those tubes directly from the upper floor, with water or God-only-knows what.

A glimpse of his own reflection into the glass momentarily distracted him from his inspection. He looked tired, despite his bright blue eyes revealed resolution and strength. His blond messy hair was darkened and tamed by dirt, and his right cheek bloodied, a harsh looking cut going from near his nose to his cheekbone, right under his eye.

A soft buzzing in the distance, the sound of a bee landing on some flower, was the only warning before the light blinked off.

Naruto heard the surprised gasps of some of his comrades, holding perfectly still in the attempt to catch any eventual movement, though the explosion before shaded his hearing a bit.

He detected someone moving, some hair shifting. Somebody hit against something, making a metallic instrument of sort fall to the floor with a clung. Nothing too out of place.

Another vibrating sound, and the electricity came back.

Some thick, deep red liquid akin to blood was dripping along the glass cylinder, monstrously staining the spot where, moments before, Naruto admired his image. T _hat was... very wrong._

The young Captain immediately jumped back, spinning towards the center of the room with the fastest speed his reflexes could muster.

 _Blood? How could that be blood?_

Ten Ten's scream reached him before he could understand what happened. The remains of Shino's body were silently slipping to the floor, his headless body painting a ruby, monstrous orchid to the once immaculate wall across the room.

Time slowed down, reality suddenly kicking in.

He exhaled, hearing his own heartbeat in his brain, hands instinctively searching for his weapon. Ten Ten's utterly terrified expression was the last thing he saw before light went out again.

There was some scrambling, this time. Someone shot, the small explosions of the bullets briefly giving an orangish light shade to the room. Ten Ten screamed again. The table was pushed, then probably overturned. Metal on the floor, broken glass. Naruto made a small step back, resting his back against the firmness of the glass cylinder.

 _What in the hell is happening, here?_

His bowel tightened. He couldn't breathe.

Someone else was screaming now, and it didn't sound terrified but in pain. More rattling of metals, a hard thud, thin glass shattered – a _beaker? A test-tube? Naruto couldn't be sure._

Little buzzing. Lightning on.

Naruto blinked, taking in the tattered room bathed in the the aggressive light.

A body was dumped again the side of the upturned table, copiously bleeding to the tiled floor. _Was it Kankuro's? Where were the others?_

Someone was sobbing, desperately. A metallic, high pitched growl covered all the other sounds, making the Captain pale.

It was coming from...above him.

The light blinked again before shutting off once and for all.

This time, Naruto _saw it._

With pure adrenaline and panic, he managed to dodge the deadly blow aimed for his head, crouching down to the floor. His trained hands instinctively run to the metal of his faithful AK-47, and he pointed toward the ceiling. Then he pulled the trigger.

Another horrible roar echoed in the darkness, sounding like nothing Naruto had ever heard before. _Another scream, some soft clumps? He wasn't sure, the sound of his gun too loud to hear anything except those feral growls._

When his magazine clinked empty, all the bullets fired in the right direction, Naruto waited, fighting hard to steady his breath. He was holding his own thanks to pure adrenaline, 'cause his brain was currently completely off, too stunned by what his eyes saw.

 _Such a monstrosity couldn't be from this world. Such a monstrosity shouldn't exist at all! What the fuck even was, the thing he saw? Was it real?_

He couldn't think properly. He just hoped with all he had that, whatever that _thing_ which came at them was, he had killed it.

When Naruto was finally relaxing, after a full half minute of utter stillness, another rumble— _quieter, closer_ – made his heart tremble in fear.

Something was thrown, and the crystal cylinder behind his back shattered in a million of pieces, fragments of glass raining on him from above. There was some collision noise - _some fighting noise, maybe?_ \- then Naruto got hit hard in the back of his head.

The biting of the pain, cold floor against his face.

Then black.

When he came to his senses, it took him a while to remember who he was, where he was and why he was there. Once recalled the last images his mind was able to provide, Naruto took in deep breath, almost not believing that he was _still able to._

With trembling hands, he assessed the state of his body, immediately noticing a deep cut in his right shoulder and some minor injuries to his hand. He could move his legs and that was fine. His head hurt like a bitch.

His machine-gun was still hooked to the strap, laying in the debris and fragments of glass surrounding him. Patting the floor in the darkness Naruto collected it, running his fingers across the underside searching for the button to unload the empty magazine. Blindly, but used to do so as instinctively as he breathed, he loaded a new magazine in. Only when the first bullet clicked in place, the Captain went for the flashlight still attached to the cane of the gun. A pale beam of light allowed Naruto to see the bloodied ceiling, different stains and splashes adorning the once spotless paint.

Naruto forced himself to stand up, his legs unsteady under him like he was a toddler walking for the first time. Ha wavered dangerously once standing at full height, but he managed to get his equilibrium back before it was too late. Slowly, he turned around in the room, assessing the level of damage, searching for survivors from his squad.

The Kyuubi was gone. No Captain would like to see a day when he has to acknowledge the death of some of his men. Naruto was totally distraught at the simple thought. The Kyuubi had been his family for years. _The only family he ever had._

Naruto felt tears collecting in his eyes, stinging to get free, but he blinked them away.

 _Not now. He still had stuff to do, now._

He walked towards the visible body laying slumped on the overturned table, crouching down to take a look at his features. He did saw right the first time, since it was Kankuro. Kankuro who also was his other best friend's brother.

He wasn't breathing. He was already cold, the pool of blood beside the table half clotted.

Naruto closed his eyelids with surprising gentle fingers.

He stood up, moving on to where he remembered Shino's corpse was supposed to be. The half body was actually waiting for him there, crumpled to the floor now, head still missing.

Naruto bit his lower lip until his teeth cut into the skin, desperately forcing himself to grasp control. He leaned down, opened Shino's back pack. He took out the DVDs, disbelievingly whole. He put them in a pocket of his body armor.

Seeing a leg in the corner of the area faintly lightened by his torch, he headed there, his heart heavy.

It was Choji's. Or Naruto supposed so, since it was the only other man left in the room. His face was unrecognizable, a bloody mask Naruto refused to identify as his friend's.

He shifted his torch, pointing the light to the only area he didn't inspect up to now, the secluded space between the china-closets. It took him a minute to spot Ten Ten's delicate hand coming out from under a big toppled bookshelf, red nail polish still in place.

Naruto reached it in a couple of long steps, stooping down to see if there still was something he could do to save her. Judging by the quantity of blood pouring out from under the wooden shelf, it was highly unlikely. Naruto sighed, shifting his fingers to caress Ten Ten's colder ones. A wrenched, lone sob escaped his throat. He was trying his best not to break down, to keep on functioning, but it was proving harder than expected.

 _He should be used to death up to now. After all it was all he had seen his whole life._

When he was on the verge of tears once again, throat closing and eyes stinging, a shadow moving in the corner of his vision compelled his whole concentration back.

Naruto's hands headed back to his weapon at lightening speed, immediately aiming for the dark corner formed by a reclined china-closet against the wall.

 _Come out motherfucker, if you dare. I'll let you eat metal, fucking abomination._

Nothing moved, the light of his torch barely reaching half of the long lair.

Naruto stirred, shifting the light lower, a small white hand coming out from the darkness all in a sudden.

The Captain jumped, taken aback, but then he moved closer, his natural tendency to protect and his training kicking in full force. He crouched against the wall, angling his flashlight to better enlighten the narrow place.

Sat at the opposite end of the improvised shelter was the most stunning human-being he'd ever seen in his whole life. Big, black, liquid eyes were looking at him with wonder through shiny, dark tresses.

Naruto blinked three times, not adverting his eyes, almost sure he was having hallucinations because of heavy distress. It simply wasn't possible that such an ethereal person existed, let alone encountering them in a place like this. Surely, the attractive face peering at him with undeniable interest was bound to disappear as soon as he relaxed and counted up to ten. He was simply going nuts, that was it.

 _Just be quiet, blink and start counting. One... two...three..._

But then the boy moved – or at least he looked like a boy -, putting his small pretty hands on the tiled floor, he crawled slowly in his direction. Naruto just looked at him silently, still enlightening his way, incapable of tearing his eyes off him.

It appeared like the boy was feeling the same, because except halting a couple of seconds to brush his charcoal strands away from his unbelievably perfect features, he never stopped looking directly at Naruto, eyes in eyes.

When the strange, fascinating guy was barely a meter away from him, and he hesitated, looking torn about what to do, finally something clicked in the Captain's brain – like the blunt fact that he was the authority here, and he was supposed to reassure his new companion.

Slowly, he extended his free hand into the narrow liar, aiming to help the younger boy out of there. However, the guy didn't seem to see the gesture as a friendly one, since he brusquely jolted several meters back, retracting from Naruto's offered palm.

Sir? - the Captain cleared his voice, almost not used to hear himself anymore after all the silence.

Sir please, stay calm. I am here to help you. -

The boy looked at him with his incredibly expressive eyes, fluttering the long lashes but not moving. His snow-white complexion almost gleamed when directly hit by the light of Naruto's torch. His body language didn't suggest that he was scared; if anything, he looked incredibly shy and diffident. Naruto lowered his technical sheet's collar, disclosing his full face and angling the light so that it was visible. Maybe this way the boy would relax a bit.

He moistened his chapped lips, then tried again.

\- Sir? Do you speak the Common Language? - he asked, putting some serious effort in sounding gentle and not commanding.

The boy opened his heart-shaped mouth, almost like he was going to say something, but then he simply nodded.

To Naruto, that was even more than enough.

\- I am Naruto. Captain Uzumaki Naruto of the Union's Elite Forces. I will take care of you if you let me. -

The boy didn't seem convinced, motionless in his position and now chewing nervously at his lower lip.

 _Oh God. Those eyes_.

Naruto took in a deep breath, putting an effort in filling his lungs completely. His nerves were shattering. He didn't know who the boy was or why he was in the depth on an evil scientist's laboratory, but he wanted to protect him. He had already lost enough lives in a single day.

It was reasonably possible that the boy had been abducted from somewhere, and kept as a prisoner – maybe he was a subject for experimentation or maybe he was taken just for fun. Naruto wouldn't have left him there, either way.

\- Listen, - the younger boy looked troubled, having curled-up on himself in the meantime. - I don't wanna hurt you, okay? I wanna save you. I am a friend. Would you please come out from under there? -

No way in hell Naruto would have fit in the narrow space between the china-closet and the wall, and he didn't want to risk scaring the guy by moving it. He had probably gone through enough shit already.

The frightfully enthralling face still looking at him seemed to unwind, and the boy stopped chewing. He blinked another couple of times, tilting his head like he was assessing Naruto and his words. Finally, he placed his hands on the floor again, resuming his march forward. Naruto smiled at him encouragingly, this time taking a step back to leave some space to the guy if he wanted to poke out from his hideout.

The boy actually came out this time, revealing a lean body with long limbs, likely taller than the average teen but not as tall as Naruto was. He looked about sixteen or seventeen years old. He was dressed like a civilian, with a neutral white t-shirt too big for him and sweatpants. He wore a mismatched pair of ruined wool socks on his small feet.

\- Can you walk? - Naruto asked him, newly focused, quickly checking the other guy's body for eventual injuries. They didn't have much time.

The boy didn't answer him an Naruto subtly checked his watch, noticing he had at best twenty-five minutes if he wanted to reach the rescue squad in time. That, obviously, if they managed to avoid whatever _beast from hell_ , like the one which tore his squad apart.

\- I know the way to get out of here, but we gotta be fast_- Naruto trailed off, noticing how close the boy came while he was assessing the situation.

His unblemished face was so close that, even in the dim light, Naruto could count the thick, individual lashes framing his eyes. And his irises weren't a dull black as he thought they were from the distance, but some weird shade of anthracite with other colors mixed in - _purple?_

The other guy was focused on his left cheek, his expression serious and concentrated. Naruto felt something delicate and soothingly fresh touching the skin under his eye, and he realized it was the other guy's hand. He stood still, glued on the spot, waiting for the boy's next move.

Nothing weird happened.

The boy smiled a bit, something more similar to a small smirk actually, then slightly caressed the Captain's skin before retracting his fingers. He didn't answer Naruto's question, but the blond was already beyond it.

A screeching roar coming from the distance echoed in the still air, bringing back recent memories of death and devastation.

Naruto didn't get the time to say a word; the other boy simply took his hand and started running towards the door of the laboratory, revealing speed and strength that were totally uncommon. Naruto let the guy drag him for the first few meters, taking the lead once they were out in the corridor, holding tightly onto his hand.

A/N: Oh, well. Hi! This story is actually an experiment.  
The original idea, conceived after a plot submission in the "NS Only" Discord, was intended to be a one-shot, but while I was plotting it thoroughly it honestly acquired a life of his own. It's been ages since the last time I published something online, and I haven't been inspired in writing a long-fiction in even longer. However this thing happened (and it's probably 'cause I am growing old *sigh*).  
I have been writing my whole life in my native language but, as you probably realized so far, English is another matter entirely. Therefore... I am kinda feeling self conscious, even more because the chapters are unbeta'd.  
Feel absolutely free to point out everything that sounds weird. I need feedback like a stranded fish needs water!


	3. 2) Broken

_IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER: Captain Uzumaki and his squad were sent for a blitz at Orochimaru's hideout. Their task was to find proof of a secret project Orochimaru was working on at Akatsuki's request. Despite a firefight with some Akatsuki guards, the Kyuubi seemed in control of the situation, until suddently they got attacked by a mysterious creature looming in the darkness. Among the dead bodies of his companions, Naruto unexpectedly found a very alive civilian boy._

NOTES: I am still without a beta. Since the chapter is really long, I might have missed some weird typos. Bear with me, please!

 **2\. Broken**

They reached the upper level fast and, incredibly, unscathed. Despite the darkness, the boy seemed to know the place well enough to run full speed without hesitation – or, maybe, he just trusted Naruto _blindly._

The small light provided by the torch was barely of any help, but the Captain knew better than slowing down; a tumble was nothing compared to what was waiting for them in the depth of the darkness surrounding them.

He had completely forgotten all the pain his body was enduring minutes before, his legs moving like they were designed for speed, unmindful of fatigue.

The boy didn't seem to put too much effort in keeping up with him; he was likely lighter than the blond, and surely in a good shape.

Naruto continued to run backwards until they reached the room where he left Kiba in Sakura's care. He wouldn't have stopped even there, if his flashlight hadn't casually enlightened a mutilated body sporting his colors, slumped against the wall near the passage to the adjoining room.

The Captain's halt was so sudden that the younger guy didn't have time to register it before bumping into his side.

The remains were of a male – _so Kiba's_ – abused and unrecognizable like the ones of his other companions had been. He was sitting in the same position Naruto had left him, by the door, legs spread wide with confidence. This time there was no smile on his face, nor a grimace of pain, nor brotherly and encouraging words. Instead, a pool of deep-red blood encompassed him, his head monstrously tilted to the side, jaw disjointed.

Naruto exhaled, defeated, feeling suddenly energy drained. The boy at his side squirmed, grasping his body armor with his free hand, his chest still pressed against Naruto's arm.

With a gulp, the Captain shifted the light, simultaneously hugging the smaller body to himself, so that the boy didn't have to witness that slaughter.

Even if he was a civilian, it was highly unlikely he hadn't seen a dead body before this one, considered the time they were living in. But for some reason, Naruto didn't like the idea of this young, innocent-looking creature facing how cruel life could be.

A hand pushed against his chest, the boy whimpering into his hold, and he tried to soothe him with small shushing sounds. But then he heard the roar, beastly and _dangerously close_ , and got the message loud and clear.

 _"_ _Fly_ _"._

\- Fuck, fuck, fuck! -

He launched towards the exit, dragging the boy with himself, not even bothering to actually see where he was going.

He remembered the room where they fought the Akatsuki by heart, correctly picking the central, clear corridor between the shelves.

Glass was creaking under his soles and Naruto made a mental note to have his companion's bare-feet checked – when and _if_ they made it out of there alive.

A small orange blaze appeared right in front of them, closely followed by a clicking sound.

Naruto's training and experience were thankfully eradicated enough to recognize it for what it was and make him duck instantly, forcing the boy to copy his movement. The next second sounds of gunfire erupted and bullets were raining upon them, causing a sharp, metallic cry several meters behind their backs.

The Captain held still, crouched low to the floor, only moving his forearm to aim his flashlight in the direction the gunshots were coming from. In the threshold heading to the next room – and to the stairs for the ground floor – Sakura was embracing her machine-gun like it was a long lost lover. She was heavily wounded, bleeding copiously from a gash on her forehead, and her left knee looked like it had seen better days, but she was there. _And alive_.

The gunfire stopped, noises of metal clashing against metal in the background – reloading – and Sakura's high pitched voice shouted - Whattafuck are you doing there, sleeping? -

Naruto jumped in motion, stupefied and filled with raw emotion, his hand still laced to the mysterious boy's. He had probably never run so fast his whole life.

Sakura stepped aside to let them pass through the door and into the next room, alert eyes still probing into the darkness.

Only after a full minute of silent scrutiny did she dare adverting her gaze for a second, searching for a familiar face in the dim light of Naruto's torch. She smiled a bit when she recognized him, her features softening visibly.

Her lashes were moist.

\- Naruto, thank god. - she murmured, shoulders slumping a bit in relief.

Naruto smiled back tentatively, unable to say a world, and watched as his friend's eyebrows arched up in surprise when she finally noticed the boy accompanying him. She eyed him carefully, reasonably trying to assess why a young civilian like him was in a place like that, a vague hint of fascination looming in her gaze.

Who's h_-

A long, blade-like limb, similar to the claws of a mantis, lashed out from the darkness all in a sudden, piercing straight through Sakura's abdomen like a hot knife through butter.

Sakura's lips were still open, her eyes wide in disbelief, blood-drenched tousled hair adorning her pretty face.

Sakura-chan! -

The blade-shaped limb hooked behind her back like a crude harpoon, lifting Sakura's body from the floor as if she was weightless. Naruto's free hand immediately tried to catch her, desperately trying to avoid the unavoidable, to help her, to do _fucking something._

\- RUN! - she yelled as she was yanked back into the darkness, roaring sounds mixing with her pained cries and echoing against the walls.

Naruto stood paralyzed, not even breathing, incapable to realize what just happened in front of his eyes. Another howl of pain pierced the darkness, Naruto instinctively moving a step toward his friend, his heart screaming to save her. His mind was buzzing, uncomprehending.

Soft thuds were heard along with sickening splattering sounds, then a low, satisfied growl.

Naruto's right hand was pulled.

He slowly turned towards the boy who was holding it, almost mechanically, watching him like he was seeing him for the first time.

The boy pulled again, using all of his strength, planting his feet onto the floor with stubbornness. He was wearing a desperate expression upon his doll-like face, obstinately searching for Naruto's gaze. His eyes were enormous and pleading, lips trembling. His movements urgent.

The Captain realized his job was not yet over; there was still someone to save, and he had been trained to protect civilians' lives at all cost. He also acknowledged that he was crying, his vision blurring and wet trails running down his cheeks to dampen the high collar of his uniform.

Naruto closed his eyes, mentally and physically exhausted, and when the boy tried to tug him again he let himself be dragged. Slowly at first, but then steadily faster; upon the stairs, along ruined, dirtied corridors, one foot after the other on the flaked wooden floor.

Stripes of dying sunlight intruded the darkness from under the charred blown-up door that connected to the outside.

Naruto gathered all the strength he had left and hastened the pace, preceding the black haired boy along the hallway. He pushed the unhinged door open, putting all his weight on his good shoulder.

Together with the young boy, he rolled out onto the muddy road.

 _They were two minutes late on the Rescue Squad._

Luckily for them, General Sarutobi had delayed the team's departure, but obviously _only because he needed a cigarette break._

The journey back to the headquarters was gloomy and silent. Asuma didn't actually need to ask for explanations when he saw the Union's best soldier coming to the rally point late, alone and covered in blood. He already knew something went horribly wrong. He could wait for details until they reached the base, where they were granted to be far from possible prying ears.

A medic soldier put the time to use tending to Naruto's most serious wounds – the cut behind his head where he was hit when he passed out and his damaged shoulder.

The Captain cried silently.

The rescued boy firmly refused to get his feet checked, curling up in a ball every time someone walked too close to him. He didn't let go of Naruto's hand.

Captain Uzumaki walked into the Intelligence's secured room with the boy at his side. Security had tried to separate them when they were passing the check-in controls, but his new friend had put on a sizable fuss, hissing, thrashing, scratching and releasing small sounds of distress

Naruto had simply told his fellows to let him be and that he would take full responsibilities, so after a brief exchange of puzzled gazes the guards had stepped back and let them in.

If he had to be completely honest, part of Naruto was glad; the small, white hand firmly held in his own was gradually warming up, and the boy's general presence by his side was strangely soothing. Plus, he got noting to hide from him as he reported what happened and what he saw to his superiors. The boy was there with him when hell broke loose, afterall; he was going to be a key witness either way.

In the small, functional room General Hatake was already sitting at the table, papers at hand, a troubled expression hardening his features.

Hearing footsteps coming in, he shifted his only eye to the newcomers, no further emotion showing on his face after he noticed Naruto's partner.

\- Please, have a sit. - he gestured with his usual, relaxed timbre.

Naruto obeyed, drawing a chair from the opposite side of the table and slowly bent his pained limbs to sit in it. The boy stood at his side, his curious black eyes shifting from Naruto's sitting form to the General's. Kakashi held the stranger's gaze unperturbed, black patch in place on his left eye and high collar of the uniform still covering the lower half of his face.

\- Shikamaru and the others are going to be here soon, - he only said, his eye still focused on their guest's face.

Naruto unconsciously moved his thumb to caress the soft, so-impossibly-white skin of his new friend, pulling a chair for him beside his own. He smiled at those liquid, curious orbs and the boy gracefully sat down without the need of being told.

Shortly, the door opened again and the other Generals came in, together with the Chief of the Intelligence Department.

Naruto stood up politely, bowing slightly as he greeted them.

\- General Shiranui, General Sarutobi, Chief Nara. -

Shikamaru reached them first, slamming down a heavy-looking folder of files on the glass surface of the table.

\- Fuck the formalities, Naruto! - he growled.

He looked concerned, angry and distressed. The wrinkles on his forehead and his pursed lips gave away his barely restrained tension.

Genma and Asuma sat at the table near Kakashi and Naruto took his seat again.

Shikamaru exhaled noisily, his right hand half covering his face as he tiredly massaged his lids and the bridge of his nose, likely trying to relieve some stress.

\- Naruto. What the fuck happened. - It wasn't a question.

Naruto lowered his face, looking down at the material of his still bloodied trousers.

\- Something was waiting for us. - he murmured, feeling tired.

Shikamaru bit his lower lip, nodding in understanding. He reached out to pull a chair for himself at the head of the table and dropped down on it.

\- All dead? - he asked bluntly, his tone neutral despite his grieving expression.

Naruto got the meaning of the question and gulped, a knot instantly tying in his throat. He felt like crying again.

\- Yeah. - he breathed, instead. The world came out broken, but Naruto didn't mind. This was the best he could muster in the state he was in.

Shikamaru sighed once again, longer and louder this time. He caressed his head, running a hand from his forehead to the band holding his hair in a ponytail.

\- Tell us everything. From the beginning. Don't overlook details. - his brown, intelligent eyes shifted to the boy sat at Naruto's right side and lingered on him for a while.

Naruto nodded and did as he was told, starting his recollection from the moment the squad intruded the building, running smoothly through Akatsuki's ambush, the bomb, the fact that Kiba was injured and stayed behind with Sakura. He described the rooms of the second level underground and handed over the DVDs they found in the info lab. As he reached the point when the lightning went off, he stopped for a second, suddenly overwhelmed.

The others patiently waited for him recover, not pushing the issue.

The boy at his side shifted, his fingers tightening around Naruto's hand.

The Captain looked up to the ceiling, forcing the word out of his throat. It was painful, but it needed to be done.

\- Something attacked us. - he managed to blurt out, voice raspy. - Something monstrous, ruthless and incredibly strong. Creatures like I've never seen. -

Everybody's attention was on him and Naruto concentrated, trying to remember as many particulars as possible.

\- As far as I could see in the poor light, those _things_ looks like a strange mixture of different beasts living on Earth, but they someway have something human in them. They have many limbs as spiders have, maybe more. The front limbs are longer and folded, looking like claws. Those are really sharp, cutting like well honed blades, two meters long or so. Their faces are horrendous, with a huge mouth with pincers and many rows of pointy teeth. But the crane is disturbingly human like. -

He took a break, searching for the faces of his fellows to see if they were following him. Shikamaru looked completely disbelieving, ashen pale in the neon lights of the room. Genma and Asuma were strangely tensed, their shoulders straight and squared, jaw tightened.

\- They are really strong, agile and fast. - the Captain went on, this time looking at them as he spoke. - They are likely intelligent, but I am not sure if they have any purpose other than killing. They totally can see in the darkness. -

\- How many of those were there? - General Shiranui interrupted, his tone unveiling some poorly hidden concern.

Naruto tried to come up with an answer, quickly skimming through his memories.

\- Not sure. I saw just one, but I am convinced they were more. Probably two or three at least. I could hear them moving and growling in the dark. They roar in a way that makes your skin chill. - he provided, watching as a grimace appeared on Genma's face.

\- Those beasts. Were they responsible of the death of all six the Kyuubi members? -

The Captain nodded.

\- We tried shooting them but it didn't seem to kill them. We couldn't properly see in the darkness and they move at lightening speed. They came out all in a sudden and I just... - Naruto trailed off, licking nervously at his chapped lips.

\- I just didn't know what to do. - he admitted, his blue eyes going wet.

He let out a trembling breath, concentrating on the shimmering glass surface of the table.

\- At some point I got hit in the head, - he gestured vaguely for his wound with his free hand – and lost consciousness. When I woke up, Shino, Kankuro, Ten Ten and Choji were dead. -

General Sarutobi nodded grimly, fumbling in his Uniform's pockets and coming out with a pack of cigarettes and a zippo.

\- You cannot smoke in here. - Shikamaru reminded him gently, voice weirdly drained and unsure.

\- Do I look like I give shit? - Asuma countered, his tone equally soft.

A corner of the Chief's lips turned up with no amusement.

\- Lend me one? - he demanded, and the General snorted, taking out a stick for himself and then throwing the package to the other man. He put the cigarette in a corner of his mouth with quivering fingers, then lit it with a couple of sharp drags. He slid the lighter on the table towards Shikamaru.

\- Go on. - he invited Naruto, puffing out some smoke.

The Captain nodded, running his left hand through his dirtied hair as he worked out his memories.

\- While I was checking the laboratory for survivors I found him, - he stated, indicating to the right with his head, toward the black haired boy. The Generals' attention shifted to their unannounced guest, who silently sat in his chair with a neutral expression on his face.

\- Does he speak our Language? - Asuma inquired, and Naruto nodded once.

\- So he said. And since he listened to me up to this point, I guess he wasn't lying. -

\- What's your name? - Shikamaru addressed the boy, tentatively.

His new friend blinked a couple of times, his doll-like face static except for the fluttering of his lashes. His big, clever eyes were focused on Shikamaru, a sign he understood he was the one called in. In any case, he did nothing but assessing him.

\- He hasn't said a word since the moment I found him, actually. - Naruto filled in, his body leaning forward so that he could observe the boy's face.

Shikamaru nodded, his lips still tight.

\- He's likely traumatized, - he offered as an explanation. - he's dressed like a civilian. - he tilted his head, watching the doll-face as the boy mirrored him, doing the same.

\- It could also be that the Common Language is not his native tongue. You know, there are minorities who still speaks their Old Language as the first one, in their communities. Did he have any documents with himself? -

Naruto shrugged.

\- Nah, nothing. The security searched us before coming inside, but he had nothing on him. -

Shikamaru wrote down something in his folder, orbs still fixated on the boy, inspecting him closely. Then his gaze shifted on the Captain once again.

\- Please, finish your report. - he gently requested.

Naruto detailed how the boy and him had run backwards toward the exit, trying to escape the mysterious, deadly creatures. He outlined how he had found Kiba's lifeless body and how Sakura had died while saving them, giving them a chance to get away.

When he finished, the room went silent. The unadorned walls seemed to press in on Naruto, reducing the air flux in his lungs. Shikamaru's forehead was drenched in sweat, the pearly, round drops glistening in the artificial light. Even the stoic Kakashi looked perturbed, his only visible eye darkened. Asuma was smoking the umpteenth cigarette.

\- I guess this is it. - Genma murmured, rubbing his mouth with the back of one hand. His eyes were unfocused. It wasn't like he was speaking to someone.

Shikamaru swallowed with difficulty and shook his head, his breath still irregular and loud.

\- Somebody... - he started, clearing his voice before trying again. - Somebody have to tell Gaara about his brother. - he rasped, looking very uncomfortable.

\- I will. - Naruto cut in, responsibility weighing on his already sore shoulders. - Gaara's a friend. Kankuro was one of mines. - he voiced his his thoughts.

Shikamaru nodded shortly.

\- Fine. Let's get a break, all of us. We have many issues to examine and it's no use trying to work things out in the mood we are in right now. -

Asuma was the first one to stand up, followed closely by Kakashi.

\- What about the boy? - Genma conveniently pointed out.

All the heads were turned towards Naruto.

It was pretty obvious that the boy didn't want to leave Naruto's side. When the blond tried to let go of his hand, even for a second, while he was discussing the situation with his superiors, the boy had clasped his shirt instead, hiding behind his back and pressing his face in-between his shoulder-blades.

Kakashi and Genma had insisted for Naruto to drop him to the Security Department, where he could be kept under surveillance in a room of his own, like the protocol called for. Anyway, the Captain had felt his stomach turn at the simple idea of leaving the boy there alone and coming back to his quarters with his thoughts.

His new friend was quietly hiding behind him, making distressed sounds now and then, and Naruto didn't have it in him to abandon him to a group of strangers.

Therefore he offered to keep an eye on him, until he recovered from the shook he was likely coping with and ready to talk with them.

Asuma and Genma's objections went to deaf ears; he instinctively knew the boy wasn't dangerous and that he didn't mean to hurt him. He looked so young, confused and naive.

In the end Shikamaru conceded, to the promise that Naruto wouldn't leave his guard down around the boy. _He might not be dangerous or menacing, but he could always be a spy._

Naruto sincerely laughed at the Intelligence's suspicions.

The Captain knocked to Gaara's private room feeling like he was carrying the weight of the whole world on his back.

The door was brusquely opened, revealing the distraught face of his friend, red hair disheveled and eyes inflamed. Naruto startled, taken aback by the other Captain's broken appearance. He diverted his eyes to the floor, watching his stained boots as he felt the burden he was carrying almost chocking him. He breathed shakily, then found enough strength to search for the green irises of his friend.

\- You already know what I am here to tell you, don't you? - he whispered, his voice sounding pathetically weak even to his own ears.

Gaara's eyes moistened again, black kajal smudged along the lightly-colored skin of his cheekbones.

\- Yeah. - he breathed, voice broken. He looked like he had been crying for some time already. - I saw you coming back without him. I know my brother very well, and there was no way he let the enemy take him alive. -

Naruto nodded, lips pressed together. His own eyes were going wet at the memories.

\- I wasn't able to protect him. None of them. - he confessed, fighting down a sob that threatened to come out together with his words.

Gaara looked stunned from the revelation. He run the back of a hand under his nose, sniffling a bit, as he tried to read Naruto's half-hidden expression. The blond kept his face lowered, not daring to look into his friend's eyes.

\- You mean you lost _all of them?_ \- his voice didn't hide his uneasiness and Naruto cringed. He nodded.

\- I am so sorry, Gaara. - he sobbed.

Gaara looked away for a minute. He knew Naruto since they were children, he was perfectly aware of the kind of man he was and what he was able to do. They have grown up together in the army, challenging each-other, cheering together for successes and mourning together the losses. Naruto was the Captain of the First Squad of the Elite Forces – _the Kyuub_ i – because Naruto was the fucking best first-line fighter the goddamn Union had ever seen. If Naruto had lost his men in battle, then is must have been a hell of a battle. To confirm his train of thoughts, the blond looked wounded too.

\- Don't be sorry, you asshole. - he managed to say, swallowing down tears. - It's not like this is your fault. -

Naruto lifted his face slightly, and Gaara could see that he was crying too. He opened his mouth to say something, but Gaara interrupted him.

\- Cut it. - he hissed, feeling a warm, fond sensation stirring in his chest. - It's not your fault. My brother believed in you. Your men believed in you. I _do_ believe in you. Stop blaming yourself. I know who you are. -

Naruto wanted to smile at him for the nice words and the trust, but he only managed to grimace.

The redhead snorted, then he sniffled again.

\- We are soldiers. We know the risks of the life we lead and we've already seen this happening in the past. - he added. - Don't be a dork. -

The blond blinked out the tears, and he must have heard enough because he took a hold of Gaara's shirt, tugging him out from the darkness of his room and in to a bone crushing embrace. The smaller man didn't resist him, hugging back his friend and patting his shoulders in a soothing way.

\- I'll miss him. - the blond whispered and Gaara smiled a bit.

\- We all will. - he mumbled.

Only the moment he stepped back to release the blond, he finally noticed they weren't alone.

\- Who's he? - he wondered, stepping aside to take a better look to the boy hidden behind Naruto's broad back. The blond turned his head, sharing a small glance with the guy who was clutching his shirt like a lifeline.

\- I found him trapped in the Snake's laboratory, - he quickly explained, extending a hand backwards to pat the boy's side. - He doesn't talk, so I don't know a thing about him. But I am happy I could save him, at least. - he sighed.

Gaara quickly trailed his eyes from his friend's tired face to the curious, intelligent expression on the doll-like face of the guy grasping on him.

Something in that face was strangely off. Sure as hell the guy _could_ talk. He looked like he understood everything about the exchange the two captains just had. The emotion of his face was not coherent with the situation, anyway. Why should the guy feel _curiosity_ upon the other things, when he just saw people dying while rescuing him from imprisonment in evil hands? And why was he keeping quiet but at the same time observing all the things surrounding him like he was studying some weird specie in its natural habitat?

He wasn't showing any trace of fear, shock or dread. He didn't look wounded nor damaged either.

\- Is he staying with you, now? - the redhead inquired, still not adverting his gaze from the boy. The little bastard held the scrutiny, fluttering that unnervingly long lashes of his, his eyes almost looking _amused._

\- Yeah. He seems to be comfortable around me. - Naruto answered, and Gaara hardened his gaze. _I wonder why he is._

\- Be careful. - he just said, finally dropping his intense gaze and focusing back on his friend, instead.

\- Will I receive a report about what happened? - he asked, back to business, bringing his emotions in check at surprisingly high speed.

\- Of course. - the blond answered readily, slightly confused about the sudden attitude change of the other. - My team is no more, which makes _the Sand_ the First Squad of the Union, now. Congratulations, I guess. - he tried to joke, but it didn't change how bad the whole situation _hurt_. - I'd also be glad to tell yourself personally what happened, if only_-

\- Not now. - Gaara interrupted him, offering a small smile. - Let's rest a bit, okay? It's late. It's been a very long day. - he suggested, and Naruto found it good advice.

\- I am glad you came to me. - the redhead admitted affectionately, voice warm. - I'll see you soon, my friend. - he added, quietly heading back to the blackness of his quarters.

He kept his eyes on Naruto as the Captain strolled down the corridor toward his own room, the weird rescued-boy obediently following him.

He was almost closing the door, repeating himself that he needed to stop being so paranoid, when the boy turned, those big, black eyes pinning him down, checking him out the way a soldier would check out a potential enemy.

Gaara couldn't hide his knowing smirk.

 _Little bastard won't fool him._

The familiarity of his private space offered Naruto a little bit of comfort, despite the grim situation. He'd been living in the headquarters his whole life, in this particular room for more then ten years.

There was a single bed in the right corner, right near a large window overlooking courtyard garden two stories down. A heavy-looking, old desk was on the other side of the window, together with a comfy, lived-in plush chair. At the foot of the bed sat a low bookshelf filled with Naruto's favorite titles, which he collected over the years. The wardrobe stood tall against the wall near the entrance, on the left. A small door in the left divider leaded to a private, tiled bathroom with a big bathtub-shower and basic, functional furnishing.

The Captain took off his boots before moving ahead into the room, peering curiously at his new friend's interested expression.

\- So this is where I live. - he felt compelled to say, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. The boy followed him like a shadow as he went to the window, watching him as he opened the pane to put his dirtied boots out on the windowsill.

\- I am going to take a quick shower now, okay? - the blond advised, instantly reaching down to take off his ruined uniform shirt, stained with sweat, blood and dust.

The action resulted in the smaller boy and a topless Naruto both holding the shirt in their hands, the soiled material acting as a link between them. The Captain let go of the clothing, focusing his attention in checking the wounds parading on his upper body, already savoring the calming sensation of warm water running on his tired muscles.

He headed into the adjoining room, moving confidently into his quarters, stopping himself in front of the mirror above the sink to inspect his shoulder's injuries.

The medic had put several stitches into the cuts over there, and the area looked bruised and overall irritated. Even when he knew he was a quick healer, the wounds still looked nasty, and the Captain sighed, knowing that sleeping was likely going to be difficult because that night.

His gaze run upward to his dirtied face, his eyes appearing even bluer because of the contrast with the filthy skin. He frowned, looking at his image; he was sure he had seen a gash under his right eye, the last time that he_. His scowl deepened. He bent to come closer to the reflective surface, his hands experimentally probing the unblemished skin in that area. His right jaw _was indeed_ stained with blood, but there was absolutely no trace of the cut that should have been there. _Was he even starting to see things?_

The Captain remembered very well the moment he got hurt, and even the warm, wet sensation of blood gushing out from the laceration, drenching the collar of his uniform. He also had the occasion to see how nasty the wound looked, reflected in the glass cylinder down in Orochimaru's lair. But now the cut he was sure he had seen wasn't there anymore, and Naruto was left wondering. Okay, people said he healed quickly, but _definitely not_ this quickly. _This was beyond miraculous._ He didn't remember the medic from the Rescue Squad treating the wound either.

Confused, he stood up again, his brain providing no possible explanation for this mysterious occurrence.

He turned around, planning on opening the water and laze about in the shower, and he ended up bumping into his temporary flatmate.

The boy's orbs where still laced on him, admiring him like he was the most amazing thing in the universe, the discarded shirt of Naruto's uniform glued to his hands.

Naruto sighed, chuckling briefly.

\- You don't like being alone, mh? - he murmured, resigned to the fact that the boy was likely sticking with him regardless of whatever he decided to do.

\- Give that to me, it's dirty. - he gently demanded, touching the boy's hands to encourage him letting go of the shirt.

His new friend obeyed, allowing the cloth to be taken from him, but then stepped forward and pressed himself against Naruto's chest, the soft skin of his face feeling strangely fresh against Naruto's shoulder. Naruto blinked stupidly, totally astounded by the gesture, and looked down to the closed lids of the other, whose face looked in a bliss.

He exhaled some air, hesitantly hugging him back, concluding that it was better – and probably easier – to let him have his way. The boy wasn't the only one in need of some comfort, if Naruto had to be completely honest.

Smiling slightly, he picked him up like a child and sat him upon the bathroom cabinet, near the sink. He shifted backwards a little, so that he could properly see the boy's expression, and unconsciously he reached out to move some wild black strands out of his face. As he realized what he was doing he retracted his hand as if burnt, his cheeks coloring slightly in embarrassment.

The boy's tresses were incredibly soft, cut short in the back but with long, voluptuous strands framing his face in the front. He didn't seem perturbed by Naruto's actions at all, his lips curved in a small, playful smile.

Naruto fought the strange sensation of intimacy that was warming up his chest simply from standing this close to the stranger. He had always been quick in bonding with other people, but this was utterly ridiculous. He should definitely get a grip.

He took another step back, the eyes of the boy immediately following, as if mesmerized.

He cleared his throat, inexplicably feeling self conscious.

\- You said you can speak the Common Language, - he reminded, gently. - Can you understand me? -

The boy was still smirking but he nodded with his head. Naruto's smile grew a bit, showing he was satisfied by the feedback.

\- Can you tell me your name? - he asked, genuinely curious, his hands secured in the pockets of his pants.

The boy's smirk worsened, an amused grin now taking his place on the pretty face. Still, he said nothing.

Naruto sighed, somewhat disappointed, but he didn't let the silence discourage him.

\- My name is _Naruto_. - he said, gesturing to himself, touching his own chest with both his hands and at the same time stressing the name. He then gestured towards his host, touching the smaller chest the same way he did with himself. - What is _your_ name? -

The boy fluttered his lashes, looking beyond amused now, almost like he was holding back laughter. Even this time, no answer came from him.

Naruto had had enough. He took a deep breath, calling for his patience to assist him, then he turned to the shower, newly focused in getting himself clean.

A soft, velvet-like voice stopped him mid turn.

\- _Sasuke,_ \- the voice said. - That's how they call me. And I wasn't lying when I said _I do_ speak your language. - there was a half hidden, delighted spark among the silkiness.

Naruto stared dumbfounded, warmness uncontrollably spreading to his face once again.

\- Nice to meet you, Sasuke. - he managed to answer, acting like that weirdly calming voice didn't affect him at all.

He shifted a bit, so that he could look to _Sasuke_ 's face without revealing his own completely. The boy was still sitting on the counter, looking at him closely.

\- How old are you? - Naruto inquired, finding the boy's manner of speech a lot more mature than his supposed age.

With the corner of his eye, he saw the lean figure shrugging his shoulders.

\- I am not sure. - he revealed, not seeming to care about it.

Naruto found he didn't care this much either.

\- Where are you from? - the Captain went on, sticking out his hand to turn on the water in the shower, so that it could get warm. He was mostly asking questions because he honestly wanted to know the answers, but wasn't beyond his role in the Union's army either.

The boy looked genuinely surprised by the question, his long lashes fluttering repeatedly as his eyes searched for Naruto's.

\- I am from that place where you found me. - he declared in the end, at a loss as to why the Captain was asking him such an _obvious_ question.

It was Naruto's turn to blink away surprise, and he turned to face the boy properly. - The laboratory? - he asked, laughing a bit. - No, I mean _before that._ \- he precised, positive there must have been a misunderstanding.

Sasuke looked at him like he didn't know what to say.

\- This is all I can remember. - he mumbled in the end, almost sounding disappointed at himself because he wasn't able to provide further explanation. Naruto felt really bad all in a sudden.

 _Right. He was likely a prisoner. He had probably been tortured._

An image of all the strange instruments laying on the table of the room where Sasuke had been found flashed through his mind.

\- I am sorry about that. - he murmured, adverting his eyes from the black, confused ones.

He truly meant it.

Silence stretched, only the relaxing sound of flowing water in the background. Naruto was wrapped in his own thoughts, recent, painful memories tormenting his soul.

\- Weren't you going to take a shower? - the soft, lulling voice distracted him, those hypnotic eyes fixed on him again.

\- Yeah. Right. - he mumbled, abruptly realizing he was supposed to undress.

Sasuke was smirking knowingly, his head gracefully tilted to the side.

Naruto swallowed audibly.

 _Man. That boy surely was something._

\- I am sorry, but this is the best I can offer. - Naruto looked apologetically at Sasuke, a makeshift bed thrown together from a sleeping bag, extra cushions and blankets spread between them on the floor.

\- Normally I would offer you to take my bed while I sleep on the floor, but today everything in my body already hurts, so...-

Comically dressed in one of Naruto's long sleeved shirts, which looked huge on his lean frame, Sasuke leveled him a totally unimpressed glare.

\- It's fine with me. - he reassured him, his eyes smiling.

They had both washed off the dirt and some of the tiredness in the bathroom, Naruto staying with Sasuke as he soaked into the water but politely not watching.

He had sat him on the drawer again once he had been wrapped in a bath towel, checking on his pretty, small feet for cuts or bruises and finding them surprisingly uninjured.

The Captain watched as the boy nimbly knelt down and crawled to his improvised bed, patting the fluffy blankets and curling among them like a cat.

 _So fucking cute._

He sat down onto his narrow bed, most of his muscles sore, his shoulder already burning. He was tired but not sure if he was going to catch some sleep at all.

\- Why are you so sad? - came the velvety voice, and Naruto looked down to the lump of covers that was Sasuke.

He sighed, combing his fingers through his still damp tresses.

\- The people who died in the mission today... They were my friends. - he explained briefly, not feeling in the mood to dwell on painful details at the moment.

Sasuke stared at him from downward, the lights in Naruto's room making the streaks of gray and purple in his irises incredibly vivid. He seemed concentrated on a thought and unsure on how to express it, his cute, small nose scrunched up in the effort.

\- _Weren't they made with the purpose of dying?_ \- he offered after some time, still looking unsatisfied about the way he phrased the concept.

Naruto couldn't manage anything better than gaping like a fish.

\- ...What? - he asked, unsure if he understood it right.

Sasuke blushed a bit, like he said something really embarrassing. He fidgeted under the blanket, lowering his gaze.

\- I mean, - he tried again, not daring to look at Naruto this time – didn't they have to die anyway, sooner or later? - his voice was very small and uncertain.

Naruto scratched his forehead, at a loss. _What a nice way to see life's only truth._

\- I suppose so, but I didn't want them to.- he argued gently, attentively watching Sasuke's reaction. - _I loved them_. I just wanted them to be safe and by my side. - Naruto's voice saddened audibly.

Sasuke's mouth softly parted but he didn't say a thing, looking in wonder. He balled his fists and curled up more under the blankets. Naruto could see his brain working around what he just said.

He smiled a little, feeling a bit broken inside, and laid down in his bed, pulling the comforter on his body.

\- I believe it's better if we try to sleep a few hours, - he suggested, too exhausted do deal with anything at the moment. He put a hand on the switch, but then remembered.

\- You scared of the darkness? - he had the kindness to ask, mindful of their experiences of the day.

He heard Sasuke shifting, then his soft voice lulled him.

\- No. I like them. -

Naruto turned the lights off.

 **A/N:** I would really appreciate if you let me know you are following the story in some way - pm, comments, pidgeons, whatever. It would really help me, I swear!

Obviously, feedback is always welcome (and I am hyped at the idea of hearing your opinion on the story). As for the updating time, I set my mind on uploading a new ch. EVERY 15-20 DAYS. I would like to do it more frequently, but I am working full time while writing my master's thesis, and I've already sold my soul to the devil in order to learn German. In case a chapter would be delayed (let's hope not), I will let you know either on my profile on AO3 or in my shy tumblr blog (drop link blog/herja-k). Some of the story is already written and only needs to be revised, but it's still a long way to go! 


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